– Return to the Coq for a Season 1 Marathon on Mon., Sept. 2 beginning at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT –
– New season will also feature four special “RELOADED” episodes featuring bonus content, production factoids, viewer Tweets, and more –

Last Updated: July 31, 2013 6:26 pm GMT

(Toronto, Canada--July 31, 2013) With bigger rigs and wilder wrecks, Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue is returning to the Coquihalla Highway and "HIGHWAY THRU HELL" for an all-new, expanded second season, premieringTuesday, September 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery.

An original Canadian series from Vancouver’s Great Pacific TV, "HIGHWAY THRU HELL" travels some of the most economically vital – and most inhospitable – trucking routes in North America. Plagued by winter storms, truckers spin out and smash up, and during the worst conditions, the big wrecks can come as often as every 12 hours. And when this happens, the call goes out for heavy rescue to clear the highway carnage and get the road open again. Viewers can revisit the crashes and conflicts from Season 1 as Discovery presents a nine-hour Labour Day marathon on the Coq, Monday, September 2, beginning at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

New for Season 2, dynamic visuals including 3D maps depicting the locations of the wrecks and striking new animations take viewers back in time to the moment of impact, heightening the wreck stories featured this season on HIGHWAY THRU HELL. Also, building on first season’s original nine episodes and “After the Crash” special, Season 2 grows to 13 hours, plus four HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED episodes (details and schedule below), and extends online to deepen the viewer experience with exclusive content.

Last season, steep hills, lethal drop-offs, killer rockslides, and the worst weather in a decade captivated audiences, with HIGHWAY THRU HELL ranking as the #1 series premiere in Discovery’s history*. As Davis’ crew navigated the extreme roads and brutal weather that sweeps across British Columbia’s Cascade Mountains east of Vancouver, the series maintained an audience of more than 610,000 viewers 2+ throughout its’ nine-hour inaugural run. Now Davis’ crew is back for another winter season working the treacherous mountain highway. With a brutal winter forecast for 2013, Davis bulked up his team with new crew and invested in his biggest fleet yet to secure his title of “King of the Coq.”

The addition of skilled driver Scott Bird, returning from retirement, creates tension with the veterans on Davis’ team. After some particularly twisted wrecks and equipment failures early in the season, Davis is left wondering if he’s made some grave mistakes. And Bird isn’t Davis’ only staffing problem: Old Bruce is forced into semi-retirement, and Davis struggles with the idea of letting him go completely. By mid-season, a new competitor shows up on the mountain, and cuts Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue’s jobs in half, leaving him with no choice but to consider drastic changes to his operation.

Highlights from the first episodes of the new season of HIGHWAY THRU HELL include:

HIGHWAY THRU HELL: “Welcome To Winter”
Tues., Sept. 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Jamie Davis, eager for the winter season to begin, has one thing on his mind – amp up his manpower and his equipment, so he’s ready for anything that happens on the mountain. He has brought back a big crew – Adam Gazzola, Narayan Samy, Kevin Ritchie, Rob Mitchell, Bruce Hardy, Ken Monkhouse, the new guy Gord Lundin, and Davis’ stepson Brandon Kodallas. Everyone has big, but not always realistic, expectations for the winter ahead. On the first job of the season, Davis’ team struggles to find their groove unloading and recovering an expensive B-Train full of lumber for an important client. Later, Davis begins to doubt the optimistic gamble he’s made this season and questions if he’s brought on too much manpower and possibly the wrong machines.

HIGHWAY THRU HELL: “Deadlift”
Tues., Sept. 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
The closures of two major highways cause drivers to voice their frustration leaving Gazzola in a sour mood over all the grief he receives. Ken Monkhouse arrives at a job to find that the competition has gotten the jump on him. Responding to a woodchip wreck, Davis, Gazzola and Ritchie disagree on how to recover the wreck, leaving Davis to do his own swamping. Later, when a heavy SeaCan tips over, Davis and his rotator are pushed to their limit. Monkhouse, realizing he needs help in the car towing division, invites Kodallas for a lesson in a new truck, but Kodallas has words with his stepfather and walks off in a huff. Monkhouse then turns to the new guy – quiet, tattooed Lundin – testing him out on a tough tow lesson.

Building on incredible momentum of the first season, Season 2 extends to 13 hours, plus four HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED episodes. These new “reloads” feature at least five minutes of new content (extended scenes and bonus footage), plus an on-screen graphics package that includes the best viewer Twitter comments, “factoids” about the production and the crashes, and more. The first HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED episode revisits the Season 1 season-ender special “After the Crash,” and caps the Labour Day Marathon onMon., Sept. 2 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The updated special includes new footage and catches up with Davis’ crew to set up the start of the new season. The additional “reloads” recaps the first episodes of the season, and air on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT starting September 6, preceding an encore of the current week’s episode, according to the following schedule:

The twists and turns of HIGHWAY THRU HELL extends online, with full episodes (one week after broadcast); “Highway Heroes” vignettes profiling the people who work to keep the highway safe; and in-depth analysis from the cast and crew of some of this season’s most memorable wrecks. Viewers can also explore a clickable interactive map to reveal facts and photos about the highway, and also find additional show and episode information, research material, and production photos. Viewer engagement extends through on mobile via the Discovery App; and fans can join the HIGHWAY THRU HELL community on Twitter @highwaythruhell and at discovery.ca/highwaythruhell using the hashtag #hwythruhell.

About Discovery:
The world is just awesome! With compelling real-life programming that inspires and entertains, Discovery reveals the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. Discovery offers a signature mix of adrenaline-charged stories, larger-than-life personalities and vivid imagery for viewers with curious minds. With the best non-fiction programming from Canada and around the world, Discovery captures the excitement of a passion for life – one lived fully and at its most extreme. With exceptional and immersive storytelling, the channel offers in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the extraordinary people and places that shape our world. Launched in Canada in 1995, Discovery is now available in more than eight million Canadian homes. Discovery is offered in standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) simulcast – for viewers who want an even bigger and bolder experience. Discovery Canada is a joint venture between Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company, and Discovery Communications Inc. Find more information and interactive online features at Discovery.ca.